


it's only us

by astrangetypeofchemistry



Series: Chlonette Week [4]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Chloenette, F/F, First Kiss, chlonette, first snow, gratuitous use of a plot point i haven't planne dout, they get together(tm)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-12
Updated: 2017-12-12
Packaged: 2019-02-13 18:53:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,501
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12990369
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/astrangetypeofchemistry/pseuds/astrangetypeofchemistry
Summary: The first snow of the year has always enchanted Chloé.She doesn’t know what about it is so breath-taking: whether it’s the way snowflakes fall to earth so gently, dancing in the air as they make their way down. Maybe it’s because some part of her hopes that that was how she looked when she fell from grace.It’s a pointless thought either way, and Chloé refuses to voice it out.





	it's only us

The first snow of the year has always enchanted Chloé. 

She doesn’t know what about it is so breath-taking: whether it’s the way snowflakes fall to earth so gently, dancing in the air as they make their way down. Maybe it’s because some part of her hopes that that was how she looked when she fell from grace. 

It’s a pointless thought either way, and Chloé refuses to voice it out. 

Her fingers tap lightly against her cup, eyes darting everywhere but at Marinette. The girl herself is reading something off her phone mid-sip, a routine that had become familiar to Chloé ever since Marinette came back. 

Things have been awkward and imbalanced like this ever since Marinette came back from China, as if there was a step they’ve forgotten to take and are now stumbling. Frankly, Chloé has no idea what that step could be. 

_ Yes you do _ , her mind says to her, and she immediately shuts it down. There is no place for something like that in her head when she’s meant to be enjoying coffee with a pretty girl. 

“How was China?” Chloé asks, then winces because  _ there’s something new. _ Marinette tears her eyes away from her phone and sets down her cup, her lips curling up in amusement. 

“Nothing’s really changed in the last three days since you asked,” Marinette responds, and Chloé wants to  _ kiss the damn smirk off her lips- _

“I dunno,” Chloé says smoothly, mentally cheering because she didn’t sound nearly as frazzled as she felt. “It just feels like with a life as exciting as yours, something new would keep cropping up.”

This seems to get Marinette’s attention, as she perks up enough to lock her phone and focus all her attention on Chloé instead. “A life as exciting as mine?”

Chloé grins, a hand reaching out to grip Marinette’s. “Well, for one, you just came back after attending three weddings.”

“And I came back a week ago,” Marinette scoffs. 

“You’re advisor to one of Paris’s best politicians,” Chloé continues. 

“But can politicians really be ranked? What makes them the best?”

“And,” Chloé cuts her off, glaring. “You’re dating Paris’s disgraced princess. You know people have been wondering my whereabouts, and you’re the only one who’s seen me?”

Her throat felt dry as Marinette studied her, expression hard to read. “We don’t have to talk about it, you know.”

“I know.” Swallowing becomes harder as she says the words. “But I’m the one who brought it up.”

They continue staring at each other, eyes burning. At one point, Chloé can feel tears brimming to the top and pulls back her hand, reaching up to dab at her eye. Marinette continues to look at her in silence. 

“It’s just tough because I don’t talk about it to anyone,” Chloé says, breaking the silence a few minutes later. “I never really gave myself a chance? Not really. As soon as word broke out, I was an idiot about it and then I isolated myself from everyone because I was  _ so sure _ I was right.” Loud hiccups began to mangle her words, and yet Marinette continued to stare in silence. Somehow, Chloé appreciated that, as if this was  _ her _ floor, like a play that Chloé was starring in and Marinette was merely an audience member, observing but not contributing. 

It’s one those things she’s come to appreciate about Marinette. Someone who can give space without full-on abandoning her feels a lot nicer now that she’s forgotten how to be alone. 

“I’m just angry, because I was  _ so stupid _ ,” she finally continues, her words slowly becoming clearer. “I kept thinking the best way to clear my name was to keep going public, to constantly clarify things from my perspective. And I just kept making things  _ worse _ , like some stupid kid. I wasn’t even acting like I was 18 years old.”

Marinette reacts at that, her hand reaching to grip Chloé’s this time. Her reassuring smile makes Chloé wonder if this, if letting someone as well-put together as Marinette into her chaotic, messy life was really worth it. 

“You know,” Marinette says, and her hand is squeezing Chloe’s and it feels so nice, and she really  _ doesn’t deserve it _ . “I have really great parents. They’re like. The best people. They always supported me, no matter what I did.”

Chloé stares in confusion, her mouth opening to question why this was necessary. But Marinette speeds up, immediately stopping her. 

“And I never appreciated them. I constantly called them  _ nosy _ , and  _ bossy _ . I couldn’t wait to get out of the house. They moved away after I did, and I finally realized how much they meant to me.”

Marinette pauses to stare at Chloé, as if she was supposed to know what exactly the point was. 

“We all do stupid shit,” Marinette clarifies, rolling her eyes. This time, there’s a small smile on her face. “No one is born perfect, okay? It just so happens that your stupid shit was a lot worse, and a lot more public. But that’s just the position you were in, okay?”

Logically, Chloé knew that everything Marinette just said was true. Her classmates had screwed up many times, and she’d  _ seen _ them mess up. 

The difference is that Chloé had exploited their mistakes to bully them. 

“The most important thing is that you  _ regret _ it, and you tried to make up for it in your own way. That’s what makes you a better person than you were back then.”

I feels like there’s a realization making its way through her head, as if at any moment, Chloé will feel herself start to break down and internalize everything Marinette had just said. She didn’t really want to start crying in a public place  _ again _ , and there was no way she was heading out in the snow. 

“Can we change the topic?” Chloé asks, and Marinette studies her for a minute, as if making sure her words are emphasized in Chloé’s heart, forcing the beat to speed up and her breaths to get shallow. And then Marinette leans back in her chair and smirks, her hand pulling away from Chloé’s to her mug instead. Chloé quells her disappointment.

“So.” Marinette pauses to take a deep drag of her beverage and Chloé shudders, anxious. The mischievous look in Marinette’s eyes had let Chloé know that she was stalling not because she didn’t know what to say, but because she had something that would embarrass Chloé. 

She was  _ terrified _ of what it could be. 

“I’m  _ dating _ the mayor’s disgraced daughter?” 

Chloé froze, her heart running faster than Usain Bolt. Marinette’s smirk grew and she leaned back in, her face closer to Chloé’s than it had been. “I wasn’t aware I  _ was _ in a relationship.”

The thing is, Chloé’s gotten… terrible at interacting with humans, which is really saying something because she was never good at it. She’d never really responded to being teased well. 

And she especially didn’t respond well when it was warranted. 

With a huff she stands up, gathering her stuff in a dignified manner. Marinette continues watching her, her eyes twinkling with laughter she’s barely holding back. Chloé slows her actions down slightly, waiting for Marinette to protest, but she continues to stay silent, choosing instead to focus on finishing her coffee. 

It annoys Chloé, prompting her to make it out of the café itself. The snow is still falling softly, covering everything in sight with a thin, white layer. One last peek inside lets her know Marinette still hasn’t moved, and she takes off, taking deep breaths of the cold air. It burns her lungs, and snowflakes keep melting on her coat, but the warmth in her cheeks is slowly cooling down. 

Her original plan had been to go to Marinette’s apartment, but since she’d just walked out on her, she figured going to her own place would be the best option. So what if it was a little inconvenient?

Trudging through the weather all alone made her grumpy, and Chloé soon found herself mumbling as she walked. They were just nonsensical ramblings, really, but the looks strangers gave her encouraged her to continue. She looked like a maniac for sure, but Chloé was slowly becoming pissed the longer she thought of Marinette. 

Her own anger distracts her from her surroundings, and she jumps as another body halts her in her tracks. When she looks up, Marinette was smiling at her, looking not even the least bit frazzled. 

“What do you want?” Chloé demands. Her tone may be harsh, but at this point it feels warranted. No remorse here, no sirree. 

“You forgot something,” Marinette greets, and then she leans forward to capture Chloe’s lips.

The first snow of the year has always enchanted Chloé. 

There’s just something about the way the snowflakes fall onto Marinette’s hair but melt on Chloé’s hands, their bodies pressed close together. 

The stronger memory, Chloé thinks, is how despite standing outside in the snow, she couldn’t possibly feel warmer. 

**Author's Note:**

> follow me @queerinette


End file.
